Hope

I have been wanting to write for a long time. I create blog posts in my head when I am driving, in the shower, sitting and playing Candy Crush. But I had been distracted by the everyday hustle of life and have not taken the time to start.

Today is the day.

I have been thinking about Hope. The thoughts keep going through my mind about how wonderful “Hope” really is!! Even when things are complicated and hard, Hope arrives!! But it’s not easy either. It reminds me of my boyfriend in middle school (indulge me a little with this comparison… hehe)

• Hope is strong and confident…. And Hope can be very fickle.
• Hope can be hard to pinpoint, name, and predict.
• Hope can seem to be everlasting… but hope can also be very temporary!
• Hope can be full of contradictions, it can take many forms, directions, shapes, and sizes.
• Hope is one thing that cannot be pinned down or controlled. It is inspired, it can’t be compared, or contrived, or coerced.

That’s a good description of the character of hope, but the construct, or idea of hope is something that seems a little hard to define. Sometimes we use the word like wishing or wanting (eg: “I sure hope you come visit me” or “I hope it doesn’t rain”). But the actual meaning adds another component… the expectation that it will happen.

I love that our brains are made to find hope!! We were created to look toward the future and cast vision for what could be. Our brains are amazing!! Even in the middle of hard times, or times where we are just feeling stuck, when we look, we can find the possibilities!

My best friend’s husband is in the hospital after a heart surgery. He is struggling. So many ups and downs. As I have been watching this play out over the past two weeks I have seen how hope has shown up. Someone talks about the future, or another person notices one thing that is going right when there are so many things going wrong. This is how Hope shows itself. Isn’t that beautiful?

This past year I have struggled to hope. Have you ever had those seasons in life where no version of the future seems good? Grief can do that to you. It can take away our ability to find hope. What I noticed during that time was even though it was hard to find, hope popped it’s head in every once in a while! Someone, or something would remind me that possibilities are endless!! There would be a vision of goodness, a fleeting moment of excitement for something new.

Young Living Essential Oils has an oil blend called Hope. I have used this oil with my clients in counseling, but I had no idea how much I needed this oil until I started using it last Fall. Hopelessness is a real thing… It can over take you. Hopelessness makes you stop moving forward. I have seen many people who have lost hope. They don’t try anything to improve their life, because in their mind there is no point. I recognize the signs of hopelessness, people slow down, they talk slower, they don’t vision cast, there is no way out of the place in which they find themselves. It becomes impossible to find possibility… or to find hope anywhere!!

I needed Hope in my life. I got the oil and started diffusing it at night and putting it over my heart several times a day. In just a short time I started feeling more like the old me. I would wear it like perfume. Smelling it instantly helped me feel grounded and able to intentionally focus on a positive future. It helped me see possibilities.

Here is what is in this little bottle of Hope

Hope Oil Blend includes several powerful oils:

• Melissa: This oil works to balance the limbic system, the emotion and memory part of your brain
• Juniper: Elevates spiritual awareness. It also supports our brain to create feelings of love and peace
• Myrrh: Also stimulates the emotion center of our brain. It brings balance. This oil is referenced throughout the Old and New Testaments and is still used in religious ceremonies. It is an amazing oil.
• Spruce – This oil helps us release emotional blocks, creating a feeling of balance and grounding

If you are interested in hearing more about using essential oils for emotional regulation, my book Essentially Better: Essential Oils for People with Feelings is available on Amazon.

Hope you all have a great day!! (see what I did there!! hehe)